July 7, 2021
When my wife and I were first married, we attended a small group about marriage at our church. It was based on Emerson Eggerichs’ book,
Love & Respect. This was a New York Times Bestseller with 2.1 million copies sold that had a huge influence on the evangelical world.
On page 221 of the book, Emerson writes: "To set up a marriage with two equals at the head is to set it up for failure. That is one of the big reasons that people are divorcing left and right today."
Initially, we accepted that statement as fact. We decided that I as the man would be the head of the home. If we had a disagreement, I would always have the trump card. Well, early on in our marriage we realized that is not the best way to settle disagreements. Saying "you need to listen to me because I am the man" is not the best way to win friends and influence people. It certainly is not the best way to gain the respect of your wife.